Thank you to all list members who responded to my query about loan issues.
We received some very good advice, which we will use when we rewrite our
collections management policy this year.  To summarize the advice I
received:

1. I stand corrected on the "donor" and "lender" word choice!

2. We will write a letter to the lender terminating the loan and keep copies
of all our correspondence on file.  (The lender has gone through no expense
for the loan, nor had he publicized it.)  We will also rewrite our loan form
to include wording allowing either party to terminate the loan with a
certain notice.

3. We will memorize Marie C. Malaro's _A Legal Primer on Managing Museum
Collections_!

4. Few museums accept long-term or indefinite loans.  We stopped accepting
these types of loans a while ago, but we still have these loans in our
collection.

5. Our accessions/deaccessions policy mirrors other institutions'.  The
staff discusses the object, makes recommendations to a curatorial committee,
which makes recommendations to the board.

Thank you again for sharing your wisdom.

Beth Nelson
Assistant Curator and Historian
Santa Barbara Maritime Museum
6 Harbor Way #177
Santa Barbara, CA 93109

Ph: (805) 962-8404 x4
Fx: (805) 962-7634

E-mail: bnelson @sbmm.org

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